Music Journalist · Author · Pop Culture Expert 

Sowmya Krishnamurthy

I’m a writer, journalist, and cultural commentator whose work sits at the intersection of music, fashion, business, and identity. For 20 years, I’ve helped audiences understand the forces shaping pop culture — the artists, the innovators, the business, and the narratives that define the moment.

My reporting and commentary has appeared across TIME, Rolling Stone, Interview, Billboard, and Complex. I regularly lend my perspective to television, radio, and live speaking engagements, including CNN, NPR, BBC, The Breakfast Club, SiriusXM, and universities like NYU and UCLA.

I am the author of Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion and the forthcoming The Blueprint: Inside the Business of Roc-A-Fella Records.

I translate what’s happening in culture — and why it matters.

Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion

My debut book, Fashion Killa, chronicles the evolution of hip-hop and style — from the streets to the runway, and from subculture to global force. Through deep reporting and exclusive interviews, the book reveals how fashion shaped the culture and how the culture transformed fashion.

Featured in: The New York Times, New York Magazine, NPR, The Breakfast Club, Hot 97, Way Up with Yee, Complex, Vice, Essence, SiriusXM and Vibe.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Supefine: Tailoring Black Style

“One of the best music books of 2024” - Pitchfork

“A necessary historian for the culture” - Paper

“One of the best books of 2023” - Kirkus Reviews

“An essential book about US culture” - Booklist

Panels, Keynotes & Live Events

Music & Tech

Meta

Amazon Music

Pandora

SoundCloud

SiriusXM

Colleges & Universities

New York University

Parsons School of Design

UCLA: Anderson School of Management

University of Central Florida

University of Michigan

Fashion Institute of Technology

St. John’s University

Brands

Adidas

Complex

Audible

Conferences & Festivals

SXSW

Music Biz

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

REVOLT World

The Bronx Book Festival

Queens Library